Medical Director, Dr. Michael Henry submitted a letter to the editor of The News-Gazette in recognition of National Health Center Week. The letter was published in the August 10, 2022 edition of the newspaper. The text of Dr. Henry’s letter is below.
August 1, 2022
Editor, The News-Gazette:
Dr. Michael Henry, Medical Director
Just over a year ago, I hung up my Army uniform for the last time and moved with my family to Rockbridge County to join the Rockbridge Area Health Center as Medical Director. It is fitting that the anniversary of my arrival falls during National Health Center Week.
This nationwide celebration gives us an opportunity to highlight the amazing work that our center, along with more than 1,200 others across the country, delivers to the community. The men and women at our center provide a wide range of critical health care services to patients, regardless of income or insurance status. This team also works to remove barriers to health care including, most recently, organizing clinics across the county to ensure rising kindergartners have completed school physicals and have received all necessary immunizations to start school next month.
Our center provides primary care for all ages, from newborn babies to the elderly. We provide immunizations, sports physicals, routine lab work, women’s healthcare, and behavioral healthcare. The behavioral health team supports our holistic approach to health. We even have a dental clinic – I can personally attest to the quality of their emergency dental care!
The staff at our center includes some of the finest professionals I have had the privilege to work with in nearly 25 years as a physician. This team’s mission focus and culturally sensitive care was key to our clinic being designated as a Patient-Centered Medical Home. Their caring nature was evident from my first meetings with them. My respect for them has only grown over the last year.
Please join us in celebrating National Health Center Week. We welcome your involvement as we work to develop a culture of wellness, increase access to care, and deliver services to our community.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Henry, M.D.
Medical Director
Rockbridge Area Health Center